Tower Island

Tower Island is an Antarctic island 9 kilometres (5 nmi) long and 305 m (1,001 ft) high. It marks the north-east extent of Palmer Archipelago. It lies 37 kilometres (20 nmi) north-east of Trinity Island, separated by Gilbert Strait. Both islands are separated from the Davis Coast to the south by Orléans Strait, running northeast–southwest.[1] The Pearl Rocks lie off the West Coast of Tower Island.[2]

For the island in the Galápagos, see Genovesa Island.
For the island in Missouri, see Grand Tower Island.
Tower Island
Map of Graham Land, showing Tower Island (16)
Tower Island
Location in Antarctica
Geography
LocationAntarctica
Coordinates63°34′S 059°50′W
ArchipelagoPalmer Archipelago
Length9 km (5.6 mi)
Highest elevation305 m (1001 ft)
Administration
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited

The island was named on 30 January 1820 by Edward Bransfield, Master, Royal Navy, who described it as a round island.[3]

Named features

A number of features on Tower Island have been charted and named by various Antarctic expeditions. The following description of features begins from the north and proceeds clockwise along the coast to the east.

East coast

The northernmost point of the island is called Cape Leguillou. It was charted by a French expedition under Captain Jules Dumont d'Urville, 1837–40, and named by him for Élie Le Guillou, a surgeon on the expedition corvette Zélée. The name has been consistently used since that time.[4] Ploski Cove (Bulgarian: залив Плоски, ‘Zaliv Ploski’ \'za-liv 'plo-ski\), named after the village of Ploski in Bulgaria, is located to the east of the cape. It is 1 km-wide (0.54 nmi) and indents the coast by 850 m (2,790 ft).[5] Traverso Point forms the coast's southeastern edge.[6]

Harmanli Cove (Bulgarian: залив Харманли, romanized: zaliv Harmanli, IPA: [ˈzalif ˈxarmɐnli]) is a 1.1 km-wide (0.59 nmi) cove on the eastern cove of Tower Island. It indents the coast to a depth of 1.1 km (0.59 nmi). The cove is named after the town of Harmanli in southeastern Bulgaria.[7] To the south is Cape Dumoutier, the eastern tip of Tower Island. It was named by d'Urville's expedition for Pierre Dumoutier, a surgeon with the expedition.[8] Continuing south is Breste Cove, which is 700 m (2,300 ft) wide and 850 m (2,790 ft) deep. It is named for the settlement of Breste in northern Bulgaria.[9] South of that is Castillo Point.[10]

Condyle Point is the southeast point of the island. It was named by the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC). The name is descriptive of the shape of this feature: a condyle is the rounded prominence at the end of a bone.[11]

The southernmost point of the island is Peña Point.[12][13]

West coast

Ustina Point (Bulgarian: нос Устина, 'Nos Ustina' \'nos 'us-ti-na\) is a rocky point on the island's west coast. The point is named after the settlement of Ustina in southern Bulgaria. It is situated 2.6 km northwest of Peña Point.[13]

Closer to the north end of the island, Kranevo Point (Bulgarian: нос Кранево, ‘Nos Kranevo’ \'nos 'kra-ne-vo\), named for the Bulgarian village of Kranevo, forms the south side of the entrance to Mindya Cove.[14] Mindya Cove, named for Mindya, Bulgaria, is 2.4 km-wide (1.3 nmi) cove indenting the island's northwest coast for 1.5 km (0.81 nmi).[15]

Coastal rock groups

See also

References
  1. "Orléans Strait". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  2. "Tower Island". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  3. "Tower Island". Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  4. "Cape Leguillou". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  5. "Ploski Cove". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  6. "Traverso Point". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  7. "Harmanli Cove". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  8. "Cape Dumoutier". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  9. "Breste Cove". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  10. "Castillo Point". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  11. "Condyle Point". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  12. "Peña Point". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  13. "Ustina Point". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  14. "Kranevo Point". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  15. "Mindya Cove". SCAR Composite Gazetteer. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Retrieved 2020-03-18.

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